View source for Basil (Essey) of Wichita

[[Image:Basil Essey.jpg|right|frame|Bishop Basil (Essey) of Wichita and Mid-America]]
His Grace '''Basil (Essey)''' (born 1948) was the Bishop of Wichita and Mid-America, a retired [[diocese|diocesan]] [[bishop]] of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]].  He was also the Secretary of the [[Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America]].

==Life==
Bishop Basil was born '''William Essey''' in the southwestern Pennsylvania town of Monessen on [[November 26]], 1948.  He is the only son and eldest of three children born of William and Genevieve Essey.  He was baptized on [[April 17]], 1949, at St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Monessen, and raised at St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church in Monessen.

His Grace received his primary and secondary education in the public schools of Monessen.  In 1970 he received his B.A. in Psychology from California State University of Pennsylvania in California, Pennsylvania.  He entered [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] in Crestwood, New York, in 1970 and received his M.Div. in 1973.  From 1973 until 1975 he served as pastoral assistant at St. George Church in Detroit, Michigan, and from 1975 until 1986 he served as director of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Archdiocese]]'s Department of Youth Affairs with offices at the main chancery of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America in Englewood, New Jersey.  While working in that capacity, he served as assistant pastor at St. Anthony Church in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and instructor of Contemporary [[Byzantine Chant]] at St. Vladimir's Seminary from 1980 until 1986.  During 1986 and 1987 he resided at the [[St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology (Tripoli, Lebanon)|St. John of Damascus Patriarchal Institute of Theology (Tripoli, Lebanon)]] at the [[Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand|Balamand Monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos]] in the al-Koura region of north Lebanon where he studied, taught and did research and translations for ''The Liturgikon: The Book of Divine Services for the Priest and Deacon'', which was published by the Archdiocese's [[Antakya Press]] in 1989 (reprinted in 1994).
[[Image:Basil Essey2.jpg|left|Bishop Basil]]

===Ordinations and Tonsure===
Bishop Basil was tonsured a [[reader]] by the late Metropolitan [[Antony (Bashir) of New York]] at St. Michael Church in Monessen on [[October 27]], 1964, and was ordained to the [[subdeacon|subdiaconate]] and [[deacon|diaconate]] by Metropolitan [[Philip (Saliba) of New York]] at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church at the [[Antiochian Village]] in Bolivar, Pennsylvania, on [[September 30]], 1979.  On [[January 27]], 1980, he was ordained to the [[priest]]hood by Metropolitan Philip at St. Anthony Church in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and on [[October 9]], 1988, he was elevated to the dignity of [[archimandrite]] by Metropolitan Philip at St. George Church in Wichita, Kansas. From [[July 1]], 1987, until his consecration to the episcopacy in 1992, he served as priest at St. George Church in Wichita, Kansas.  During his pastorate the new church temple was erected, consecrated and elevated to the status of [[Cathedral]] on [[April 21]], 1991.  He received monastic [[tonsure]] to the [[Schemamonk|Lesser Schema]] ([[Monastic Ranks|Stavrophore]] or [[Mantiya]]) at the [[Patriarchal Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist (Maldon, Essex)|Patriarchal Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist]] in Tolleshunt Knight by Maldon, Essex, England, during the night between [[January 19]] and [[January 20|20]], 2003, at the hands of the monastery's [[abbot]], Archimandrite Kyrill.

===Episcopacy===
[[Image:Basil Essey3.jpg|right|frame|Bishop Basil at the glorification of [[Raphael of Brooklyn|St. Raphael]]]]
His Grace was nominated for [[bishop]] ([[auxiliary bishop|auxiliary]] to Metropolitan Philip) by the General Assembly of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]] on [[July 26]], 1991, and was elected to the episcopacy (with the titular see of Enfeh al-Koura in north Lebanon) by the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Church of Antioch|Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of the Great City-of-God Antioch and all the East]] on [[November 14]], 1991.  He was consecrated to the episcopacy on May 31, 1992, at St. George Cathedral in Wichita, Kansas, by Metropolitan Philip of the Archdiocese of North America; Metropolitan [[Elias (Audi) of Beirut]]; Bishop [[Antoun (Khouri) of Miami|Antoun (Khouri)]], titular bishop of Seleucia and auxiliary of the Archdiocese of North America; and the late Archbishop [[Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo]], Ohio, auxiliary of the Archdiocese of North America.  From 1992 until 1995 he resided at the Los Angeles Chancery, and in September 1995 he took up residence at the Wichita Chancery.  By a decision of the [[Holy Synod]] of the Patriarchate dated [[October 9]], 2003, His Grace became a diocesan bishop bearing the title of '''Bishop of Wichita and Mid-America'''.  He was [[enthronement|enthroned]] in his cathedral on [[December 15]], 2004.

===The Glorification of St. Raphael===
Bishop Basil co-chaired the Joint [[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]-[[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian]] Canonization Commission which led to the [[glorification]] of Bishop [[Raphael of Brooklyn|Raphael (Hawaweeny) of Brooklyn]] on [[May 29]], 2000, at [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)]], where he [[concelebration|concelebrated]] the services for St. Raphael with many other hierarchs. His Grace oversaw the publication of the book containing St. Raphael's [[Hagiography|Life]], [[Akolouthia]] and [[Akathist]] (Antakya Press, 2000), arranged the hymnography for St. Raphael to [[Byzantine Chant|Byzantine melodies]], and directed the Clergy Brotherhood Choir which recorded an audio CD of the hymns for the feast of St. Raphael (Antakya Press 2001).

=== Resignation ===
Bishop Basil resigned at the age of 73 on October 17, 2022.

{{start box}}
{{succession
 | before = —
 | title  = Bishop of Anfeh
 | years  = 1992–2003
 | after  = —
}}
{{succession
 | before = —
 | title  = Bishop of Wichita and Mid-America
 | years  = 2003–2022
 | after  = —
}}
{{end box}}

==Works==
*''The Liturgikon: The Book of Divine Services for the Priest and Deacon'', Antakya Press, 1989 (ISBN 0962419001)
*Arrangement of hymnography for ''Saint Raphael Hawaweeny'', Antakya Press, 2000 (ISBN 0962419036)
*Numerous translations and arrangements of [[Byzantine Chant]] found in various service books

==Residence and Cathedral==
Bishop Basil resided at the Chancery of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America.  The Diocesan Cathedral of St. George is also located in Wichita, Kansas.

==Source==
* Original text found at http://www.stgeorgecathedral.net/bpbasil.html, used by permission.

==External links==
[[Image:Basil Essey 4.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Bishop Basil at the altar]]
*[http://www.antiochian.org/Archdiocese/Bishops/Bishop_Basil.htm Bishop Basil (Essey)] (Archdiocese biography)
*[http://www.antiochian.org/southwest Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America] (official site)
*[http://www.stgeorgecathedral.net/ St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral] (Diocesan cathedral)

===Writings and speeches===
*[http://www.westernorthodox.com/basil Comments on the Western Rite]
*[http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/resources/saints/essey_raphal_brooklyn.htm Lest We Forget... Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn], from ''Word Magazine'', 1976 (published as William Essey)
*[http://www.conciliarpress.com/again/content/view/68/9/9/ Building Up the Body of Christ]: An AGAIN Interview with His Grace BASIL (Essey), February 2005

===Audio===
*Enthronement speech (December 15, 2004): [http://www.stgeorgecathedral.net/audio/enthronement12-15-04-F.wma WMA], [http://www.stgeorgecathedral.net/audio/enthronement12-15-04.ra Real Audio]
*Pascha 2004 Homily (April 11, 2004): [http://www.stgeorgecathedral.net/audio/pascha04.wma WMA], [http://www.stgeorgecathedral.net/audio/pascha04.ra Real Audio]

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:20th-21st-century bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Enfeh Al-Koura]]
[[Category:Bishops of Wichita]]
[[Category:Hymnographers]]
[[Category: St. Vladimir's Seminary Graduates]]